Bus stop graffiti...

A crisp winter's day, and I spend a good part of it location searching. This is where a mountain bike is worth its weight: I'm able to follow tracks and paths that's just not possible in a car, and cover a lot of ground while I'm at it.

Today's photograph, however, was taken spontaneously after I spotted the graffiti on the inside of a bus stop, West Parley, Dorset. Whilst not quite a Banksy, it did make me get off of my bike to record the effort. Whether "NINE" is a signature, or a statement, I have no idea.

While local councils take steps to eradicate this sort of activity - in some cases almost as soon as it appears -  there is evidence that the image has been painted-round, so as to preserve it.

24-70mm f/2.8 EX DG Sigma lens. 1/250 second at f/4.5. +0.67 EV compensation. ISO 400

© 2011

Kitesurfer, Sandbanks...

It can often be the case that unless a photographer lugs all of his or her lenses around, shots will be missed. There have been numerous occasions when I've not been able to go wide enough, or long enough, and it's certainly not practical to carry everything on a bike. Today, my luck was in.

Although I was still only carrying three lenses, conditions (plus a good deal of skill on behalf of the windsurfers) came together in the way of light, tide and wind direction. My longest focal length available to me was 200mm, but it proved long enough to capture some deft moves from one particular kitesurfer at Sandbanks.

The image here is from a sequence, and shows him at the top of his manoeuvre (I'm sure they have names for all this), with the town of Poole, Dorset, in the background.


70-200mm f/2.8D Apo Sigma lens. 1/1250 second at f/4.5. -0.33 EV compensation. ISO 200

© 2011

Not what I expected...

I'm in Poole, Dorset, today - primarily on business - but also on a reconnaissance mission to check out suitable angles to photograph the progress of the Twin Sails Bridge, due to be opened in 2012, at a (current) cost of £37m.

It's whilst riding from one location to another that I spot the ivy climbing a neglected wall by the roadside, and stop to get some shots. Oddly, the wall was a lemon hue, not white: the camera recorded the colour inaccurately. This is the first time that I've experienced the auto white balance setting not giving the result I expected, and although I can correct the error using Adobe's RAW converter, I think better of it.

50mm f/1.8 Nikkor. 1/200 second at f/5.6. -0.33 EV compensation. ISO 400

© 2011

Sand patterns and tide pools...

A second day of crisp, winter light, and another very low tide, and I have the makings for some dramatic wide angle shots along the beach at Boscombe, Dorset.

I had been shooting seafront architecture at Sandbanks, Poole, but the patterns in the sand left by the retreating tide, lit by the low angle of the late afternoon sun produce the best images of the day.
I'm shooting at the widest setting of my zoom lens so as to include as much foreground as possible, but instead of correcting any inherent distortion the lens produces, I decide to leave it - hence the slightly bent  appearance of the pier.

12-24mm f/4 Nikkor. 1/125 second at f/11. +0.67 EV compensation. ISO 640. Polarising filter.

© 2011

Raffles...

This sad little boat has been in this condition since last summer. It is holed on the starboard side and the keel has become embedded in the mud. Each successive tide does more damage for the unfortunate owner, who, apparently, can't be traced.

I was talking to a sea-going local, today, who has been give permission - by whom, he didn't say - to try and salvage the forlorn vessel. It seems such a waste to leave it to the elements, rotting away.

So, if you're out there reading this - owner of "Raffles", moored in Poole Harbour, Dorset - get in touch with the North Haven Yacht Club, and rescue your boat, before it's too late.

12-24mm f/4 Nikkor. 1/640 second at f/8. -0.33 EV compensation. ISO 200.

© 2011

Wipe-out...

The first bit of decent light since the start of the new year, and I'm out with a long lens and heading for Southbourne beach, Dorset. It is here that the waves, no doubt increased in size by the southerly wind, are somewhat larger than those to be found on the purpose-built surf reef two miles or so to the West.

Consequently, it had attracted a small number of committed surfers, despite the cold, and it is one such participant - photographed here - experiencing a wipe-out.

300mm f/2.8 AF-S VR Nikkor with TC-14EII converter. 1/800 second at f/4. -0.33 EV compensation. ISO 400

© 2011

6,000 and counting...

It was two years ago today that I bought a bike, primarily as a photographic asset, and clocked-up 6,000 miles (9,656km) on it during this afternoon's ride to Poole Harbour, Dorset. This is where I photographed today's image of a lone dingy on a falling tide. I was determined to mark the occasion with something.

The surface of the harbour was still, and once again I had a high contrast, minimalist result in mind as I fired the shutter. Moments later a breeze sprang up and ruffled the water, and the calming effect was lost.

24-70mm f/2.8 EX DG Sigma lens. 1/160 second at f/8. +0.33 EV compensation. ISO 400. High contrast conversion in Adobe Photoshop

© 2011

Gate...

It has been some time since I've produced any photographs, but it's not for the want of trying. Unless there are exceptional weather conditions, dramatic light or something out-of-the-ordinary, winter can be a hollow time for a landscape shooter.

To start the new year off, I am once again out on my bike in search of something worthwhile, but once again the light is flat and uninspiring, mainly because of the cloud cover. It is not until I come across the landing jetty of the East Dorset Sailing Club, situated next to Poole Harbour, that things start to get interesting. The low tide is revealing the whole bare-bones of the structure, and before I could get off the bike I'm thinking in monochromatic terms.

Whilst making a series of photographs I make the mental note to give the final result more graphic "bite" using Photoshop, rather than retain a full range of tones, and decide to make digital Lith, or high contrast, pictures. This involves removing almost all of the mid-tones: a technique that can transform the most mundane of subjects.

85mm f/1.4D Nikkor.  1/400 second at f/5.6. ISO 400

© 2011